Dale Carnegie: The Man Who Influenced Millions

Kemp, a marketing executive, and Claflin, author of You'll Never Get No for an Answer , cover the extraordinary life of Dale Carnegie (1888-1955), born to impoverished parents in Missouri farm country. A youth tempted to suicide by failures, Carnegie nevertheless kept seeking the key to success which he finally found and shared with other aspirants. The authors describe the Carnegie Course, subject of his bestselling How to Win Friends and Influence People , published in 1936. While the authors maintain that their book is not intended to promote the course, their reports on sessions in progress seem, perhaps inevitably, like endorsements. The book is, however, an interesting account of Carnegie the man and of his teaching, which combines elements of method acting and group encounters. Photos not seen by PW. (Aug.)